Thursday, September 22, 2016

"If My People" and the Rest of the Story

Everyone has heard
this verse. It’s a promise to the nation of Israel way back in the Old
Testament:

If my people, which
are called by my name, shall humble themselves,

and pray, and seek
my face, and turn from their wicked ways;

then will I hear
from heaven, and will forgive their sin,

and will heal their
land (2
Chronicles 7:14).

It’s a
great verse of promise, one of those if-then statements we hear especially in
the context of politics. If the nation would only honor God, then God will
bless it. And, of course, that’s true.

But,
sometimes we fail to read the context. Look what’s happening here, and why God
made the promise in the first place. This is on the occasion of Solomon’s
dedication of the new Temple. He had just held an awesome sacrifice and equally
amazing service of dedication. This is what goes before that verse: And the LORD appeared to Solomon by night,
and said unto him, I have heard thy prayer, and have chosen this place to
myself for an house of sacrifice. If I shut up heaven that there be no
rain, or if I command the locusts to devour the land, or if I send pestilence
among my people (2 Chronicles 7:12-13). If
my people . . . .

Let’s
skip a few verses and see the rest of the context: And
as for thee, if thou wilt walk before me, as
David thy father walked, and do according to all that I have commanded thee,
and shalt observe my statutes and my judgments; Then will I stablish the throne
of thy kingdom, according as I have covenanted with David thy father, saying,
There shall not fail thee a man to be
ruler in Israel. But if ye turn away, and forsake my statutes and my
commandments, which I have set before you, and shall go and serve other gods,
and worship them; Then will I pluck them up by the
roots out of my land which I have given them; and this house, which I have
sanctified for my name, will I cast out of my sight, and will make it to be a proverb and a byword among
all nations (2
Chronicles 7:17-20).

God
begins to point the finger: As for thee
(Solomon) you need to do right and be obedient. You need to be personally
responsible.

Yes,
Solomon was the leader. He was the king. So, of course, it was his
responsibility to set the example and lead.

It’s
important to notice that every individual is responsible for taking the
initiative and doing right. If the whole nation honors God, God will heal their
land.

It
begins with one.

It
begins with you . . . and me.

Notice what pleases God.He told Solomon—in the last
passage above—that Solomon was to observe His statutes and judgments. That
means obedience. It means obeying His laws.

I
think we’ve gotten away from that mentality in Christianity today. We don’t
like to obey the rules. They seem too restrictive. We like our freedom. We
don’t like purity. We don’t like holiness.

Think about our choices of
entertainment—movies
and TV. Back in my childhood, my parents didn’t let us watch Gunsmoke because it was violent. They
wanted us to see only clean, fun TV shows. Later, when we were teens, I remember
my mother turning a program off immediately after hearing one curse word. Good friends of ours—at the time with three teenage
sons--had a rule that their boys could only see PG and G movies in
someone else’s home unless they phoned home and asked about a specific PG-13
movie. The parents took the responsibility for them, and what Mom and
Dad decided was what they did.

What
are your entertainment choices? Are they holy? Are they pure? Do they depict
wholesome values and have a healthy moral tone? Do they honor God?

What
do you choose for your kids to see? What kinds of video games are they allowed
to play? Are you promoting obedience to God?

Think about our attitudes towards
government. I
understand that in some countries, their governments are corrupt, and
authorities aren’t what they should be. The Bible says, Let every soul be subject unto the higher powers. For there is no power
but of God: the powers that be are ordained of God. Whosoever therefore
resisteth the power, resisteth the ordinance of God: and they that resist shall
receive to themselves damnation. For rulers are not a terror to good
works, but to the evil. Wilt thou then not be afraid of the power? do that
which is good, and thou shalt have praise of the same: For he is the minister
of God to thee for good (Romans 13:1-4ª). It’s even more impacting when we
remember that this was written when the Roman government
fell very short of fair and kind. Even so, Christians were instructed to
respect the rule of law.

Think about the sanctity of
marriage and how God views fornication. What’s our
attitude toward marriage and lust outside of marriage?

There
are many other areas, of course, and we’re not going into them all.

When
we say, “If our country would just get back to God” and excuse ourselves for
disobeying God’s laws and statutes, God won’t bless us—or our country. On the
other hand, if all the Christians in
the United States, for example, would start being obedient, pure-living people
with the power of the Holy Spirit evident in their lives, we would no doubt
have a changed country. God would bless America again.

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Hi and welcome to In the Way! I explore many subjects, striving always to present them from a biblical viewpoint. Feel free to browse the tabs at the top for general categories. If you don't see what you're looking for, use the search button below. I'm a pastor's wife, mother of two, grandma, teacher, author, and blogger. I live in a quaint little village in the beautiful Basque region of northern Spain.

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Lou Ann is a young-thinking grandma with an infectious laugh. She rejoices in nature and other beautiful things--including people! She's an avid writer and practices several other artistic expressions, like singing when no one's listening, calligraphy, photography, and even "serious art." Lou Ann loves her Lord Jesus Christ, family, and her church.